Halloween, Alaska is a Minnesota-based band consisting of James Diers (voice, guitar), Ev (keyboards, voice, programming), Jake Hanson (brother of Tapes 'n Tapes drummer Jeremy Hanson, guitar), Matt Friesen (electric bass guitar), and David King (acoustic and electronic drums). All of the group's members live in the Twin Cities, except for Diers who resides in Madison, Wisconsin. The group first formed in 2002, and work on a self-titled debut soon began to be recorded. Completed in 2003, the disc earned considerable acclaim not only in the Twin Cities but also from indie tastemakers and college radio programmers across the US, combining ambient electronic elements with moody alt-pop songwriting. Two tracks from the disc were featured in the Fox television series The O.C.: "Des Moines" in season one, and "All the Arms Around You" in season two. The track "State Trooper", featured on their self-titled debut, is a cover version of the song by Bruce Springsteen. East Side Digital reissued the album in 2005, adding remixes and bonus tracks. A second disc entitled "Too Tall to Hide" was released in 2005, which features another cover version of a song - "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J. Members of the group are or have been part of the bands The Bad Plus, Love-Cars, Happy Apple, 12 Rods, The Gang Font feat. Interloper and The Few Nice Words "Halloween, Alaska" is not named after a place that actually exists in Alaska.
Discography
ALBUMS
Halloween, Alaska (Princess, 2004)
Halloween, Alaska [REISSUE] (East Side Digital, 2005)
Too Tall to Hide (East Side Digital, 2005)
COMPILATIONS
"Des Moines" (alternate version), Live Current Vol. 1 (Minnesota Public Radio, 2005)
"Drowned" (VIC 20 remix), Twin Town High Music Yearbook Vol. 8 (Pulse, 2006)
"Halloween" (Housewares remix), For Callum benefit compilation (Catlick, 2007)
